How can you turn a cupboard into a set of drawers?

Drawers are the best storage solutions in a kitchen but when you don’t have enough of them you have to find an alternative.

We recently moved into a new house (I’m quite used to moving as this was our 6th move in 13 years…). The house is really great as it has lots of built-in storage areas in almost every room. This is a big advantage of this house.

The kitchen has been newly refurbished to a modern design with lots of storage spaces, but mostly comprising of cupboards and a few sets of drawers. Drawers are really the best option for a kitchen as you can see everything you have and can easily access everything inside. Having shelves makes it more complicated to see what you really have, it’s difficult to access the back of the shelf and it can become messy more easily. But of course drawers are more expensive than cupboards so you don’t always have the choice.

I wanted to find a solution in order to avoid the mess you can have on a typical overcrowded shelf.

Firstly I took the measurements of the shelves and went to IKEA (where you can always find efficient and cheap storage solutions) to find out what I could use.

I found the 22l SAMLA plastic storage boxes in size 39x28x28cm. These are perfect in size and as they’re transparent you can easily see the items you have inside. They come with an optional lid. I didn’t take the lids as the boxes are, in my case, inside the cupboard and therefore safe from dust. It’s also quicker to get access inside without having to take the lid off. And last but not least is their price: £3 per box (without the lid). For sure, this alternative is a much less expensive solution to having real drawers!

When I need something from one box, I take the entire box from the cupboard and put it on the countertop to have a better view and an easier access. Then I replace the box on its shelf.

For a simpler view of the contents of each box, I have labelled them. Having the boxes clearly labelled is particularly helpful for my kids and my husband if you see what I mean…

This is precisely why I’m so passionate about being a professional organiser. I love finding easy and affordable storage solutions when they are needed!

From the unconvenient messy cupboard…

…to the organised storage “kind of drawers”

…labelled

…and taken out for easier access!

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By Isabelle

After having spent 15 years in market research, working mainly for cosmetic brands like L’Oréal, Lancôme and Chanel, I decided it was the perfect time to make my passion for home organisation and design in to my career.